Improvement in amalgamating gold with mercury



FOREMAN &MATHEWSON.

Ore Amalgamator.

No. 58,088. Patented Sept 18, 1866.

. Witnesses:

AM. PHOTO- LITHILCO. N.Y. (OSBORNE'S PROCESSJ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

M. FOREMAN AND J. R. MATHEWSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVAhlIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN AMALGAMATING GOLD WITH MERCURY.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,088, dated September 18, 1866 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, M. FOREMAN and J. R. MATHEwsoN, both of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have inventedan Improved Mode of Ainalgamating Gold with Mercury; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Our invention consists in anial gamating gold with mercury by circulatin g pulverizedanriferous ore com bined with water upward through a body of mercury, substantially as described hereinafter, so that every particle of ore maybe exposed to and taken up by the mercury, and so that the process of amalgamation may be more rapid and certain than when the said process is conducted by the aid of ordinary appliances.

Our invention further consists in heating the mass of ore and water by a jet of steam, which induces the said circulation, as and for the purpose described herineafter.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to.-

practice our invention, we will now proceed to describe a mode of carrying it into effect.

On reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a sectional view of apparatus by which our invention may be carried into ett'ect, and Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1.

A is a tank, on the bottom of which rests a tube, 13, communicating with a vessel, 0, which, in the present instance, consists of a hollow vertical cylinder, closed at both top and bottom, but having an exitpipe, b, which overhangs the trough A. The pipeb passes through the vessel 0, within which it is turned down so as to extend nearly to the bottom of the said vessel.

The open end of the pipe B within the trough is made slightly flaring, and is directly opposite to a nozzle formed on the bent end of the vertical pipe D.

A supply of mercury, e, is deposited at the bottom of the vessel 0, and the tank A is nearly filled with pulverized auriferous ore mixed with water. Steam is then admitted to the pipe D, from the nozzle of which it passes in a forcible jet into the flaring open end of the pipe B, carrying with it the pulverized ore and water from the tank, and forcing the same along the said pipe 13, and thence upward.

the latter has taken up allor nearly all of the gold mixed with the quartz, &c., in the tank, after which the mercury may be removed through any suitable opening in the vessel 0.

We have found by experiment that by this operation of forcing the pulverized ore upward through a body of mercury the amalgamation is much more rapid and effective and saving than the usual process.

It will be evident that the ore and water may be circulated through the tank and upward through the mercury by different appliances. We prefer, however, the use of a forcible jet of steam, as we have found that amalgamation takes place with greater rapidity and certainty when the ore is heated than when cold.

It will also be evident that the apparatus may be modified and altered, and other apparatus substituted for that described, without departing from the main features of our invention.

We therefore claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The amalgamation of gold with mercury by circulating pulverized auriferous ore combined with water upward through a body of mercury, substantially in the manner described.

2. Heating the mass of auriferons ore and water by a jet of steam, which induces the above-mentioned circulation, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

M. FOREMAN. JAMES R. MATHEWSON. 

